Next of kin
by Cherry chain
Summary: When Julius doesn't come home one day, Ludger isn't too worried. But as the days stretch on without a word, he starts fearing the worst.


**4/12/4302**

Ludger's math homework was looking more and more incomprehensible as time passed. Eventually he realized he had punched the same equation into his calculator for the fifth time without writing down the answer. Making a frustrated noise, he marked the number down before looking up at the clock. It's been another half hour since he had last checked, nearly an hour past when Julius would usually come home.

Stomach growling and growing faint from hunger, Ludger finally gave up, grabbed a plate of cold food from the table and put it into the microwave. He pulled out his GHS as he waited for his dinner to heat up, sending his big brother an irritated text:

_[Julius] 8:14PM: when r u coming home? im eating without u_

Honestly, Julius should at least have the courtesy to call if he was going to be late. What's the point of putting so much effort into making a meal if no one's going to eat it while it's still good?

**4/13/4302**

With such an unpredictable job it wasn't too rare that his big brother would come home hours after Ludger had already gone to sleep. He would find Julius passed out in his own bed the morning after, waking up only long enough to wave off offers of breakfast in favour of more sleep. So Ludger woke up sometime before his alarm for once and tiredly made his way to the neighboring bedroom, banging a fist loudly on the door.

"You want something to eat this morning?" He waited a few moments, listening closely for the usual groan. But the seconds stretched on and he was given nothing but silence in reply. Holding back a yawn, Ludger pushed open the door and was met by the sight of an empty bed, sheets stacked neatly at its foot with no signs of its usual inhabitant.

Ludger closed the door with a frown, pulling out his GHS again as he worked on preparing for school.

_[Julius] 6:42AM: there's food in the fridge  
[Julius] 6:42AM: please call me when ur home?_

He couldn't help but start to get worried now, but Julius wasn't always very good at keeping Ludger updated about his schedule. It's happened before. Something's just holding Julius up; he probably just lost his GHS, and can't come home until he gets his travel privileges sorted out. There's downsides to a society where your entire life was coded onto a single device.

Ludger ate alone again that night.

**4/14/4302**

His heart dropped to his feet in disappointment and fear when he saw the bed empty again this morning. Still no word from Julius. Ludger could barely focus on his lessons, attention taken up mostly by the phone he was checking under his desk every few seconds. It's been two days, surely his brother would have gotten any issues solved by now? At least have used a pay phone to tell Ludger what was going on.

There was a growing knot of dread gnawing at the back of his mind, latching on an old memory. He had been a lot younger, and Julius had disappeared the same way. After three days, Ludger had finally gotten a call from his brother and it had been from the hospital where Julius had only just woken up from a major injury. It had taken him weeks to recover.

During his lunch period Ludger couldn't take it anymore. Slinging his bag over his shoulders, he snuck out of school, skipping the rest of his classes to go visit the hospital.

_"Let's see…24-year-old male with dull grey-green eyes, sandy hair, 180cm, a distinctive white coat…? Sorry, no one with that description has been admitted in the last week."_

Julius wasn't there either. He didn't know if he should be relieved or even more terrified.

_[Julius] 7:31PM: pick up the phone already dammit!  
[Julius] 7:31PM: please  
[Julius] 8:10PM: just let me know that you're okay  
[Julius] 10:17PM: I'm making your favourite tomorrow okay?  
[Julius] 11:28PM: Julius please_

**4/15/4302**

_[Julius] 2:10AM: come home_  
_[Julius] 4:53AM: this isn't funny anymore_

Panic was starting to set in. After tossing and turning all night he finally sat down on his sofa, staring at the clock and waiting for the sun to rise, praying for the click of the lock and his older brother's form filling the doorway.

6AM came but Julius didn't.

**4/16/4302**

"Sorry, that information is classified."

Ludger was frantic. His temper so easily checked most times now flaring as he slammed both hands down on the receptionist's desk, leaning forward, voice rising with every syllable so that it echoed around the entrance hall of the Spirius building.

"Agent Julius Will Kresnik is my _brother_! He's the _only family I have_! You have to tell me what's going on! I haven't heard from him in five days!"

The woman glanced down at her computer with a frown before looking back up at Ludger, her expression hardening.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Director Kresnik has no family listed, and we're not allowed to disclose Agent Statuses to the public."

It was like being punched in the gut. _No family listed_? But how could that be? Ludger was right here, right now! They were half brothers, but they were clearly_brothers_.

"There has to be some kind of mistake! Hold on, just let me show you my—"

"Security, please escort this boy off the premises."

"Wait, no! Dammit just listen to me—!"

"Out. Give it up kid."

_Calling Julius...  
__..._

_"You have reached Julius Kresnik. I'm not currently available, so please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

_[Julius] [no answer] 3:18PM_  
_[Julius] [no answer] 3:26PM_  
_..._  
_[Julius] [no answer] 11:46PM_

_xxx_

_"Did you hear? We lost Director Kresnik on that last mission."  
__"Wait, you mean that Julius kid? Damn, he was pretty young."  
__"I know, and he was one of our best. Just goes to show it doesn't matter how good you are eh? All it takes is one mistake."  
__"So who's the lucky bastard that gets to break the news to his family?"  
__"Family? Nah, he lived on his own, there's nobody in the files. At least he isn't leaving anyone behind."_

* * *

AN: Just a _what if_ scenario that ran away from me. I was thinking about what would happen if Julius died on a mission, and I realized that since he's been keeping Ludger a secret from Spirius, they wouldn't know to contact him in case something happened...


End file.
